Will Australia’s social media ban for children come to Ireland?

This week, Australia became the first country in the world to impose a social media ban for children aged 16 and under.

Welcomed by parents there but criticised by big tech and some free-speech advocates, the ban will see companies such as Facebook, Instagram and TikTok face massive fines if they fail to take reasonable steps to remove the social media accounts of Australian children. And to stop children getting such accounts in the first place.

Ireland is also taking steps to make children safer online, with a Government push to design a digital wallet linked to social security numbers as proof of age. And the Department of Health’s online safety taskforce will also lay out its proposals today.

Irish Times Political Correspondent Ellen Coyne explains the Government’s advanced plans to protect children from accessing harmful material online.

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Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Suzanne Brennan and Andrew McNair.